


Two Kings

by litana



Series: Fire Emblem Fates [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:47:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29711148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/litana/pseuds/litana
Summary: As each of his siblings get married, Ryoma wonders if he will ever be able to fulfill the duties of his throne. Luckily, a certain kitsune is all too willing to help.
Relationships: Ryoma (fire emblem)/kaden
Series: Fire Emblem Fates [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180307
Kudos: 2





	Two Kings

The deep purple of dusk was just beginning to wash away the brilliant orange and pink of the sunset glowing on the horizon. Ryoma leaned on the smooth stone railing, feeling the wind pick its way through his hair, nipping strands out of the metal band binding them. Quiet music trembled through the halls before finding its way outside, filling the air with the sound of plucked strings and gentle pipes. Distantly, the harsh clash of metal on metal echoed, likely a late training session in one of the inner yards. 

The soft scuff of a foot on the uneven tiles announced a visitor to his moment of solitude, and he sighed, prepared to wear the mantle of King once more.  
“I was wondering where you’d gone. It truly is a beautiful evening.”  
His little sister Sakura stepped up beside him and leaned out over the drop, turning her face up to the fading light. He barely stopped himself from reaching over and pulling her back; years of watching her every move and acting as her looming, hulking protector died a slow death. But she had a new protector now, not that she wasn’t entirely capable of protecting herself. Though he still occasionally wanted to strangle the Nohrian king for stealing away his baby sister, Xander was in truth as perfect a man as any could be to wed Sakura. And it didn’t matter what he thought anyway. The man was desperately in love with her, and she with him. Her radiant happiness was worth every second of disgruntled brotherly concern. 

“I miss this view. Nohr is beautiful and full of terrible wonders, but its not home. Not yet, anyway.”  
Ryoma glanced at her, silhouetted against the clouds.  
“Are you homesick, little sister?”  
She shrugged.  
“Not exactly. Its more like… I miss Hoshido because of the lovely memories I have here, but Xander is my home now. He holds my heart, and I hold his, so no matter where we are in the world, we’re home together.”  
Ryoma felt a deep pang shoot through his chest. To know that level of love with such certainty… he forced a smile and pulled Sakura into a one-armed hug.  
“I cannot say how much joy I feel knowing that you have found your other half. Even if he is some stuffy lord from Nohr.”

She giggled, punching him lightly on the arm.  
“That ‘stuffy lord’ said to remind you that you promised to go hunting with him the next time he visits. He specifically wanted you to be aware that he intends to win. How does one even win at hunting?”  
Ryoma chuckled and pushed away from the railing, heading back inside. Sakura followed him, skipping a bit to keep pace with his longer strides.  
“I tried to get my husband to explain what exactly he wants to win, at which point he became very evasive, which makes me think whatever it is will land you both in the healer’s suite.”  
There was no reason to be evasive; the competition involved seeing who could shoot down the most pheasants in an afternoon. As neither of them typically preferred the bow, it would make for good sport. Xander, apparently, took pleasure in teasing his new wife.  
“It is the code of brothers, little sister. I cannot reveal the specifics.”  
“Ugh fine. If you two break your bones, I’m not fixing them.”

~~~  
Sakura said goodnight to Ryoma and headed down the arching, open halls, lit by warmly glowing mage lights encased in frosted glass hanging from the ceilings. Despite being away for the better part of a year while she became acquainted with Nohr and her people, her feet travelled the familiar halls with easy certainty. 

As she turned the corner to her suite, she came to an abrupt halt, and glanced around, trying to find a good route of escape. Equally panicked brown eyes stared at her from a face rapidly turning crimson.  
“Ah, I’m sorry, I’ll just, um, go back this way—”  
Hanna, ducking out from underneath Leo’s arm where he had her pressed up against the wall, immediately started spouting protests.  
“No, no, no reason for you to go, nothing’s happening here, just a little, er, chat, so um I’ll just be going.”  
Sakura watched Leo’s eyes harden as Hanna stumbled over her words. His voice, when he spoke, was cold.  
“No need. Clearly our… chat wasn’t all that important.”  
He walked over and bent down to press a kiss to Sakura’s cheek.  
“Goodnight, sister. Sleep well.” 

Without another glance at Hanna, he strode away, back straight and tense.  
Hanna bit her lip and watched him go, frowning, before spinning back around.  
“I… um… Lady Sakura I—”  
Sakura cut her off. Whatever had been happening, it clearly wasn’t nothing. Hanna was still beet red and she hadn’t seen Leo that mad since the time Odin accidently set his bed on fire.  
“Shouldn’t you go after him? He’s clearly upset and you clearly care about that since you’re looking after him like you’ve lost something important.”  
Sakura watched Hana struggle with herself, then slump with defeat.  
“All I do is make him angry. We’ll be arguing, and then suddenly he’ll do something ridiculous like kiss me and then—”  
Her mouth snapped shut and she groaned.  
“I can’t believe I just told you that. He’s gonna be so mad. I’m sure he doesn’t want me telling people that he’s kissing some backwater country noble.”

Sakura forced herself to contain a sigh. Hanna could be completely blind sometimes, especially when it came to her own worth. And Leo wasn’t known for his patience.  
“Hanna, it seemed to me like Leo only got mad when you called whatever is happening between the two of you ‘nothing’.”  
Hanna’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, then closed, the opened again, before firming into a sad line. Before she could protest again, Sakura gave her a push.  
“Go, talk to him. Explain. Use your words. You can do it!”  
Rolling her eyes, Hanna grinned, hesitated, then threw her arms around Sakura in a hug. It was such a rare thing for Hanna to break her role as a retainer and just act like a friend. Sakura’s spirit soared as she watched the girl that she saw as a sister go running off after her grumpy prince. 

~~~  
Hanna sped down the hall, mentally kicking herself and thanking the Gods for Sakura’s clear eyes. She was an idiot, idiot, idiot!! When Sakura saw them, she’d panicked and froze and all she could think of was Leo being embarrassed to be seen with her, so she’d tried to play it off. And now he was mad. Because apparently, she wasn’t the only one who cared about this… whatever they were.  
“Leo!!”  
She skidded to a stop in front of his door right before he closed it.  
“Leo, wait, please.”  
He paused, standing there holding the door and watching her silently, waiting. Hanna swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and was horrified to realize that tears were threatening to spill down her cheeks.  
“I’m an idiot.”  
Leo simply raised an eyebrow. Great. She was going to have to spell this out. Use her words, as Sakura had suggested.  
“I thought… I thought that the last thing you’d want would be for anyone to know about us being… whatever we are. Because your brother married royalty and you’re a prince and of course you’d expect to marry some princess like Sakura or at least a noble and I’m barely a noble at all, just some girl who’s father got a title for dying well. So I figured you wouldn’t—”  
Leo placed a finger on her lips, silencing her rambling thoughts.  
“So am I to understand that you were trying to protect my feelings, little samurai?”  
Hanna went to speak, but Leo ran his finger along her lips, distracting her from whatever she wanted to say. She settled for nodding instead. The finger tracing her lips ran along her cheek before his hand tangled in her hair and dragged her face up to his for a hot, rough, kiss.  
His tongue demanded entrance to her mouth, searing her to the core. He took possession, holding her in place and abusing her lips, right there in the hall where anyone could see. Heat blossomed and settled deep in her belly, pooling between her legs, and she pressed herself against him, reaching up to grip his hair in turn, reminding him that she wasn’t simply going to roll over for him. He nipped her bottom lip and slowly pulled back, loosening his grip on her hair and sliding his arms around her back in a gentle embrace.  
“My feelings are very much centered on you. I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. You, Hanna, are mine.”  
She was still reeling from his declaration when he dropped a soft kiss on her lips and closed the door, leaving her standing in the hallway, bewildered and grinning like a fool. 

~~~  
The morning dawned clear and cool, a bite in the air hinting at autumn. Ryoma leaned back in his chair, stretching out his shoulders. He hated paperwork; Leo helped where he could with the organization, but in the end, the petitioners and nobles expected a response from the king, and Ryoma would not lie and shirk the work.  
A knock on the door gave him an excuse to stand. He didn’t bother putting on the formal overcoat, as anyone with access to his study door demanded no formality.  
The door opened on Kaden, yawning and squinting against the bright sunlight of the study.  
“I hate mornings,” he moaned as he slunk into the room, collapsing in a heap on a pillow in the corner. Ryoma had moved the pillow in when he realized the kitsune preferred it to a standard chair. It was important for him to see to his comrades’ comfort after all.  
Ryoma sat back down at his desk and propped his feet up on a stool. Kaden’s visits were always amusing.  
“So then why are you awake this early?”  
“I’m practicing for our trip. I don’t want to slow you down in the morning and I know you like to get going early. Silly humans with no night vision.” 

Interesting. Kaden was actually trying to make things easier instead of causing mischief like normal. They were heading to his clan of kitsune up in the mountains tomorrow on a diplomatic trip to restore the relationship between humans and beastkin. He’d be making a similar trip with Keaton at some point soon.  
“Well, thank you for making the effort. I do want to leave at dawn tomorrow to cover as much ground as possible. I don’t want to be away from the palace longer than necessary. Things are still too uncertain for me to leave for a long period of time.”  
Kaden flopped around on pillow, trying to get comfortable. He finally settled on his stomach, with his tail curled around his shoulder like a blanket. His ears, sticking up through auburn hair, twitched as he yawned again.  
“Yep, I’m the best. Takumi’s still coming along too, right?”  
Ryoma frowned and shook his head.  
“Azura’s not feeling well, so Takumi is staying home with her. I wanted Sakura to see her while she’s here, but Azura refused. Said its nothing; but whatever is going on has Takumi climbing the walls.” 

Kaden flicked his tail off his face and propped his chin on his hands.  
“I’d be panicking if the woman carrying my kit was sick too. Wouldn’t you?”  
Kit…? Ryoma stared at Kaden, knowing he must look like a confused idiot. Kaden’s eyes went wide and then his face twisted up.  
“Oh. That was a secret human thing, wasn’t it?”  
His ears drooped and he looked so forlorn that Ryoma started laughing. He walked over and plopped down on the floor beside the massive pillow. Kaden scooted over and Ryoma moved to sit beside him.  
“How did you know?”  
Kaden wrinkled his nose, looking very much like the fox lurking just below the surface.  
“Scent. It changes when a female is carrying kits.”  
Ryoma shook his head and leaned back on his hands, looking up at the latticed glass panels that formed the domed roof of his study.  
“Well, looks like I need to have a chat with Takumi.”  
Kaden rolled to his side, tail flicking around to curl around Ryoma’s back.  
“Is it possible Takumi doesn’t know? I mean, any kitsune knows because he smells the change but if Takumi can’t… huh. Humans are strange.”  
“I won’t argue with you there.” 

Chuckling, Kaden dropped his head back down on the pillow, eyes closing. He clearly intended to take a nap. So much for staying awake in preparation for an early start tomorrow. His tail still curled around Ryoma’s back, tightened against him, and then flicked up to his neck. Suppressing a shiver, Ryoma glanced down at the fox as the soft fur slid over his skin in a slow drag. As the last silky strands fell away, Kaden let his tail drop down to the pillow, curled close to his own body. A lopsided smile with the tiniest bit of fang drifted over his face before softening into sleep. 

Shaking himself, Ryoma stood up and walked back to his desk. Sakura was married and soon to be crowned a Queen, Takumi was going to be a father, and he was… attempting to be a good king, yes, but failing miserably on the settle down and make an heir front. He just didn’t… want anyone. The noble daughters and warrior women of Hoshido and Nohr were beautiful, strong, and vibrant, but none stirred him to passion. The few experiences he’d had as a young man before the war had been lackluster at best, and completely unsuccessful at worst. He was lucky the respect he commanded as a warrior made his reputation immune to kitchen gossip or else the servants would have unmanned him long ago. 

Another shiver worked its way through his body as the memories of Kaden’s soft fur slipping over his skin assailed him. He pressed his hands into the intricately carved desktop, feeling the little edges cut dully into the pads of his fingers. Such thoughts were ridiculous. Wrong, even. If he were open to choose whomever he wanted then maybe… but no, he had a duty to the realm. Entertaining such whimsy was a fool’s mission. Resolute, he grabbed the next stack of papers and began to read, firmly ignoring the sleeping fox curled up in the corner of the room. 

~~~  
Takumi paced outside of the bathing chamber, impatience and worry roiling inside him.  
“Azura, just tell me what’s wrong. I know it’s more than just a stomach ache!”  
When he didn’t get a response, he changed tactics.  
“Or at least let Sakura come see you, I’m sure she could—”  
The door flew open and Azura appeared, looking a bit pale and sweaty, and glaring at him.  
“I’ve told you, I’m fine. I’m just not adjusting to the food, that’s all. We spent a few months in Nohr and switching back has been difficult.”  
She was lying. Takumi could see it in her eyes, pleading for him to drop it. He clenched his jaw until the muscles along his face stood out.  
“Do you not trust me enough to tell me the truth? You own me, body and soul. What more do I have to do to prove that to you?”

Her lips trembled before she suddenly burst into tears. Takumi muttered a curse and pulled her into his arms, a sense of satisfaction swelling through him when she immediately melted into him. Her sobs shook him to the core. Swinging her into his arms, he carried her to the couch and settled down with her in his lap. Gently stroking his fingers through her hair, he waited until her breathing calmed and she looked up at him with wide blue eyes.  
“I’m pregnant.” 

He froze, fingers still tangled in her hair, as her words skipped around his skull. Pregnant. Carrying his child. A joy so intense that it threatened to explode out his ears filled him.  
“Takumi? Say something, anything. I’m sorry, I should have been more careful with the herbs but I must have forgotten at some point and…”  
He caught her rambling in a fierce kiss, turned sweet when she softened beneath his lips, tension draining out of her body.  
“Gods, I love you.”  
She blinked at him, slightly stunned.  
“But—”  
He shifted around, settling her on the couch and dropped to the floor at her feet. Grabbing her hands, he pressed his lips to each palm in turn, then placed them over his heart.  
“Marry me.”  
Shock played over her face.  
“Takumi, what…?”  
“I had this whole grand proposal planned out. Music, friends, family, those fluttery blue flowers you always put in your hair. Just imagine it, right now, us standing in the cherry orchard with petals falling and me on one knee. You’ve got to imagine it, because I can’t wait til next month. Say you’ll be my wife, Azura. The only thing that could possibly make me happier than I am right now hearing that you are carrying our child would be to hear you say you’ll be mine.”

New tears rolled down her cheeks and she bent down, resting her forehead on his.  
“Always and forever, my heart is yours, son of the forests with the moon spirit on your brow.”  
Takumi began to laugh.  
“Trust you to make it all poetic.”  
He gathered her into his arms once more, but she immediately leaped up.  
“What—”  
“Bathroom! Morning sickness. It’s awful.”  
She ran to the basin and retched. Takumi followed, pulling her hair back.  
“How many months does this go on for?”  
Miserably, she groaned.  
“At least a few more weeks. Promise you’ll still love me when I’m all puffy and emotional?”  
He grinned at her in the mirror.  
“Well, you’re already emotional, but I think I can survive the puffiness too.”  
Dodging the punch she threw at him, he backed out of the room, laughing. He had to go tell Ryoma the good news. And get Jakob on board with planning a wedding. 

~~~  
Ryoma worked his way through the third sequence of the sword, sweat starting to bead on his arms and chest. He’d abandoned his shirt and wore only loose cotton pants and soft leather boots, giving him ease of movement as he went through the exercises.  
From the corner of his eye, he saw Takumi approaching. Rather than interrupt his practice, his brother leaned against a pillar to watch. Flowing through stance after stance, staying in each just long enough to feel the burn begin to build, he came to stillness at the end of the sequence. With his eyes closed, he felt the breeze send drops of sweat trickling down his back. The scent of the river, icy and clear, shadowed the distant smell of baking sesame rolls. Quiet birdsong echoed in air broken only by the sounds of his and Takumi’s breathing. 

Opening his eyes, he sighed in relief. His soul, finally in balance again.  
“What is it, brother? You seem… on edge.”  
Takumi nearly bounced over to him as he crossed the yard to his side.  
“She said yes!!”  
“Who said yes to what? You’re not making sense.”  
Takumi rolled his eyes.  
“I asked Azura to marry me, and she said yes! You idiot, what else would I be talking about.”  
Ryoma grinned and slapped Takumi on the back in congratulations. He wondered if Takumi knew the real news yet, that Kaden had so helpfully shared.  
“And, well… she’s carrying our child. I wanted you to be the first to know.”  
Well that was good, since he already knew. He pulled his brother into a hug.  
“You will make a wonderful father and husband. I couldn’t be happier for the two of you. Whatever you need, only ask and I will see it done within my power.”  
Takumi offered a lopsided smile.  
“Look at you, being all formal and kingly. All I need is you, my brother, at my side. Now I’ve gotta go find Jakob, tell him there’s a wedding to plan.”  
Picturing the butler’s outraged face at the prospect of planning a last-minute wedding was highly entertaining.  
“Do tell me how that conversation goes.”

~~~  
When Ryoma made it down to the stables, the sun was barely cresting the horizon. The vibrant pink and orange glow was softened by the morning mist rising off the fields. He paused at the stable door, savoring the smell of fresh hay, the wickers and snorts of the horses familiar sounds of comfort.  
He headed to the back of the structure, to where his warhorse, Rai, waited, stamping impatiently.  
“Yes, yes, I brought you a treat.”  
He pulled an apple and a sugar cube out of his pocket and offered them to the stallion. Lipping at the apple first, he snatched the sugar cube and crunched noisily while Ryoma laughed.  
“I’m not surprised. The apple is for you too, you big oaf.”  
Rai blew out a huge breath and snagged the apple. The sounds of his horse munching were the only ones to break the silent morning air. A large head butting up against his arm indicated that the treats were gone and Rai was of the opinion that he deserved more.  
“Not today, my friend. I have to go see if I can get in Jin’s good graces.”

The stallion snorted and nodded his head, as if he agreed. He rubbed Rai’s forelock and velvety nose, then headed across the strip of packed dirt to where his mare was housed. She stood with her behind to the door, and when he called her name all he got was a head toss and a tail flick. Clearly, he was being ignored for his transgression of offering first treat to Rai.  
“Come now, Jin, you know you’re my favorite. I even brought you sugar cubes.”  
An ear prick and weight shifting side to side. Ryoma took out his trump card and waved it through the air.  
“I’ve also got honeycomb.”  
With one more tail flick for good measure, Jin shifted around to investigate the offerings. Lipping delicately at the sugar cube, she sucked that up, and chewed it before turning to the centerpiece. A fresh piece of honeycomb, still dripping with warm new honey sat in the center of Ryoma’s palm. She sampled the treat with precision before pulling it all into her mouth. Ryoma took the opportunity to rub his clean hand up and down her broad face. Meanwhile, she busied herself licking the honey off of his palm.  
“Alright then. Ready for a ride, my girl?”

He led her out of her stall and over to the tack area. He still preferred to saddle his own horse; he cleaned his own tack and did his own grooming as well, when time allowed. The stable hands knew his preference and left him to it, treating him like any other rider on mornings such as these. He was so engrossed in his task of checking over the saddle and stirrups, making sure the reins were the correct length and that Jin’s blanket had no burrs or other offending passengers, that he barely noticed Kaden coming in. 

Kaden watched the most powerful man in Hoshido bargain with the mare and grinned as she flicked her ears at him and continued to give him the cold shoulder. Any man knew better than to place a lady second. He stifled a laugh as Ryoma held out a hand dripping with honeycomb and finally convinced the beautiful animal to give him a break. 

Walking quietly, not wanting to disturb the pair, Kaden eased closer. As the mare’s tongue slid out and started licking the honey off Ryoma’s fingers, Kaden’s mouth watered. Not for the honey, but for the man whose fingers it coated with liquid gold.  
Shaking himself, Kaden reviewed his goals for this little trip. One, make Ryoma realize that there was a reason he couldn’t find a girl to marry. Two, convince Ryoma that Kaden had so many things to teach him. Three, find out if Ryoma’s body was as tasty as it looked. Four, convince his clan not to boot him out of leadership (a traditionally violent experience) for claiming a human.  
Sadly, the last item on his list was likely going to be the easiest. 

“Morning, your Majesty.”  
Ryoma gave a wave and went back to smoothing the blanket over the mare’s back. As Kaden came closer, she flared her nostrils and let out a shrill whinny. Ryoma pulled her head down and looked her in the eyes.  
“Kaden is a friend. And a fox. But first a friend. You will behave.”  
The mare rolled her eye at him as if to say, sure I will, after hell freezes over. Kaden shrugged. Horses never liked his kind. A normal fox could be stepped on, but they instinctively knew he was different. Try to step on him, and they’d find themselves losing a leg. 

“I’ll wait outside, I’m going to run in fox form anyway. I only came in because I couldn’t help but watch you. It’s nice to see you like this, away from all the formal king stuff.”  
Leaning on his mare, dressed in simple riding pants, scuffed leather boots, and a form fitting blue shirt, Ryoma simply looked like a young man going for a ride. His face told another story, lined beyond his age, eyes fierce without trying, full of bronze fire. Kaden shivered and felt the fur on his tail ruffle as those eyes came to rest on him.  
“You just like causing mischief. Run along, trickster.”  
Trickster, huh? He supposed kitsune did enjoy a game or two, but that seemed… like flirting. He headed out into the sunrise, enjoying the misty air on his face. Or maybe he was reading too much into it. Humans, even the good ones, were confusing. They said one thing but smelled like another. Maybe since they couldn’t smell the subtle differences emotions lent to their scent, they thought they could hide behind their words. 

For instance, Kaden knew exactly when Ryoma noticed him in the stable earlier. A subtle shift in scent, missed by anyone not desperately looking for a hint… not that Kaden was desperate. He was just attuned to Ryoma from so much time spent around the man, so he’d scented the soft sharp bite of musk, powerful and alluring.  
Ryoma’s body knew what it wanted even if the man himself didn’t.

Shaking away his thoughts, Kaden stripped off his robe and let the magic of the shift take him over. In a rush of nearly painful tingles, he flowed into his other form. Scents, sounds, sight all magnified. He panted, tasting the air, feeling the horses’ unease. They’d sensed him, knew a predator sat in their midst. His tongue lolled out in a foxy grin and he loped off into the woods. Time to start executing his plan. 

Ryoma stood frozen at the door of the stable, oblivious to Jin’s irritated snorts, staring at Kaden’s robe on the ground. He’d seen the kitsune naked before, surely. He always stripped before shifting if possible, so as not to get stuck in clothing. But those times had been during the war, when his mind was focused on the upcoming battle. Focused on staying alive and keeping those he loved safe. 

Now he had nothing to focus on except the exceptionally well-muscled backside of the man he’d be traveling with over the next week. The lean line of Kaden’s spine flowing down into the base of his russet tail, swishing back and forth enough to offer glimpses of tanned skin… Ryoma swallowed roughly, his pants uncomfortably tight against the erection straining at the laces. 

This was madness. 

Resolving to ignore it, he swung up into the saddle, wincing and attempting to adjust himself to find a position which didn’t cause pain, or worse, pleasure. Finally finding something manageable, he urged Jin to a walk and headed towards the woods Kaden had disappeared into minutes earlier.  
Reaching the edge of the trees, Ryoma strained to see movement in the dappled shadows of early morning. He figured Kaden was enjoying his run and would catch up to him further up the road. 

Ten minutes later, as the trees thinned out and the kitsune was still no where to be seen, Ryoma began to feel a tad irritated. Suddenly, he caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye. Dismounting and giving Jin the signal to stay in place, he headed back into the thicker trees, where he’d seen it. Kaden was white dappled with red when he shifted, his nine tails darkening to charcoal near the tips. Seeing another flash, Ryoma adjusted his course. Trust the fox to decide to play hide and seek before setting out on a diplomatic trip to his clan. 

With a sudden rustle, a large white shape barreled into him, knocking him flat on his back. He made a mental note to never forget how damned quiet the kitsune could be. Standing over him, front paws on either side of his head, Kaden’s mouth opened in a sharp, tooth filled grin. Without warning, he licked a long streak up Ryoma’s face, neck to brow. Spluttering, Ryoma pushed him off and sat up, wiping his face. Something wet poked into his ear and he shouted, shoving Kaden’s head away, laughing as the fox pranced back to the road, clearly quite pleased with himself.

Delicious. The taste of sweat and man and whatever made Ryoma unique lingered on his tongue. While he intended to sample that taste again, man to man, this was an excellent start. He loped along beside Ryoma’s mare who was resolutely refusing to acknowledge him as they covered easy miles of rolling fields and softly sloping hills. They’d get closer to the foothills of the mountains where his people made their home that evening. Ideally, they’d make it to clan grounds by tomorrow in the last afternoon sun. 

The hours passed in silence, and Kaden almost wished he could be in human form to talk with him. He pushed that thought away. He was kitsune, and nothing should stand above being able to run freely in his other form. His primary form. He’d been born a fox, as was required for any who wished to lead the clans. Those born in human form were weaker and shifted later, if at all. He focused on the wind rushing through his tails, the earth biting into his paws, the small animals rushing to hide with his passage.  
But he couldn’t forget the man riding at his side. 

~ ~ ~  
They came to a stop in a clearing in another patch of forest. A cold mountain stream ran down, pooling briefly in a divot made of broken stones, before rushing away to join the slow-moving River of Jewels. It was an excellent place to sleep for the night.  
With the normal effort it took to remember his human form after a day wearing fur, he shifted back in a shower of light. Groaned a bit at the tightness in muscles unused to their new structure, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck side to side. 

He turned around to see Ryoma’s back to him, unpacking the saddlebags. His robe came flying towards him and Kaden caught it, frowning. Was he being ignored because of the game in the forest? He sniffed, catching a hink of musk, and slowly grinned. Dropping the robe at the side of the pool, he walked over to stand at Ryoma’s shoulder.  
“I’m going to go take a bath; are you going to join?”  
His whole body stiffening, Ryoma looked at him, making a clear effort to keep his eyes on his face.  
“Ah, no, I’ll, er, I’ll be fine.”  
The normally eloquent Ryoma reduced to stuttering and turning red as a tomato. Kaden couldn’t believe it. Maybe the man was more aware of his needs than he’d thought! 

“Well, you really should take advantage. Not to be rude, but you kinda stink.”  
The color in Ryoma’s cheeks darkened, and Kaden turned away to hide his grin. Hearing a sharp inhaled bite of air made it even better. Someone liked looking at him from behind. 

Throwing his pack down on the ground, Ryoma roughly yanked his bedroll out and spread it on the ground. He stank. Good to know. Thank you, Kaden. He knew he needed to bathe; he just didn’t intend to do so at the same time as the kitsune happily splashing around in the pool. Kaden could be so… young, sometimes. In truth, Ryoma had no real idea how old he was or how long kitsune lived. He didn’t know nearly enough about them and he hoped to fill in some of the gaps during his time with the clan. 

A yelp had him spinning towards the pool, heart racing. The scene he encountered was far from one of danger: Kaden, face wrinkled in disgust, had an eel caught in his fist and, as Ryoma watched, threw it far into the woods.  
“Ah. Did the eel offend you in some way?”  
Kaden went pink and his ears flattened down to his head.  
“If you’ve got to know, my brothers fed me an eel when I was five and it was so disgusting that now I can’t even stand the sight of the things.”  
Ryoma dropped down by the side of the pool as Kaden climbed out and curled on a rock, knees pulled into his chest and tail wrapped around his ankles. He glared at the water and Ryoma stifled a laugh. Such an odd thing to be so disgruntled by.  
“I didn’t realize you have brothers.”  
“Mmm. Yeah. Had two brothers, one sister. My sister’s the only one left. You’ll meet her at the clan home.”

Ryoma heard the old pain in Kaden’s voice as he spoke and wanted more than anything to ease him. Making a quick decision, quite sure he would regret it soon, he stood up and pull his shirt over his head. Toeing off his boots and socks, he stripped out of his pants. Leaving his under wrap on, he waded into the pool.  
“What are you doing? Change your mind about bathing?”  
Ignoring the still morose fox, Ryoma set about disturbing the rocks around the edge of the pool. After a few minutes of this, an eel darted out. He snatched it from the water and tossed it downstream. Another followed and received the same treatment. Finally, when stomping around the pool yielded no more unwelcome pool dwellers, Ryoma turned back to Kaden. His lips twitched and then he burst out laughing at the bewildered expression on the kitsune’s face. 

With a muttered, “I don’t get humans,” Kaden jumped in the pool, splashing Ryoma with his tail as he did. Shaking water out of his eyes, Ryoma began washing, intensely aware of the limited size of the pool with Kaden there beside him. He would bathe, get out, and go to sleep. He would forget the ridiculous need to make this man happy, the need that had driven him to go eel hunting for the past 10 minutes. Gods, he felt like a joke. 

Calloused hands landed on his shoulders. Kaden, perched once more on a flat rock at the edge of the pool, pulled Ryoma over to him and began kneading the muscles in his back and arms. He immediately felt heat pool in his chest and shoot down to his groin. His breathing picked up and he felt his heart begin racing. He thanked every God that he’d left his under wrap on; it at least partially obscured the raging erection that sprang up in response to the feeling of Kaden’s hands on his skin. 

Ryoma knew he should pull away, but for the life of him, he couldn’t do it. A hand massaged its way up the back of his neck, gripping firmly and digging in with long strokes. Mindless thoughts of Kaden stroking his shaft with that same assured pressure had him groaning under his breath.  
“Your muscles are like rocks. Too much stress from running a kingdom.”  
As Kaden’s long, skilled fingers worked their way down his spine, Ryoma’s thoughts fragmented and drifted.  
“It’s not the kingdom.”  
He didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until Kaden paused.  
“What’s that?”  
“It’s not the kingdom that’s making me tense its—its this. All of this.”  
Kaden’s hands dropped away.  
“What’s ‘this’ exactly? I don’t—”  
Ryoma pushed out to the center of the pool, forcing distance. Of course he didn’t understand, why would he? Kaden did what he wanted and didn’t seem to give a damn about the consequences. Hell, he’d barely even been back to see the clan he was supposedly in charge of.  
“You don’t ‘get’ humans, remember? So I’m not surprised you don’t understand. This is a human thing. We can’t—I can’t—just act on things on a whim. Not like you.” 

When Kaden spoke again, his voice was colder than Ryoma had ever heard it.  
“You’re right. It’s impossible to understand someone who refuses to understand themselves.”  
There was a soft splash, and when Ryoma turned around, a large white fox was trotting into the forest. 

~~~  
Silence was not always golden. In this case, it was dark and surly and riding an equally irritable horse. Granted, the fact that he had remained in fox form since the disastrous end to the evening might be contributing to the lack of conversation.  
Kaden tried to enjoy the run, but all his attention was focused on Ryoma. On the memory of his slick skin under his palms. Of the way his thick chocolate hair had spilled over the backs of his hands. Of the taste of his sweat when he pounced on him in the forest.  
He nearly ran into Jin as Ryoma pulled up without warning. Skidding to a stop, Kaden sat back on his haunches and waited, head tilted to the side. He watched as Ryoma seemed to battle with himself, before jumping down from his horse.  
“I’ve spent the last four hours thinking about last night, and Kaden, I was an ass. I’m sorry. I’ve been irrationally frustrated recently and took it out on you.”  
All of this was said to some place over Kaden’s head, Ryoma resolutely avoiding eye contact. He sighed and shifted forms, grabbing his robe out of the saddle bag and pulling it over his head as he stood up.  
“Yes, you were an ass, but I understand why. I forgive you for your rude behavior. And I’m sorry as well. For pushing you.”  
Ryoma ran his hands through his hair, and Kaden’s thoughts wandered in the direction of that hair brushing along his body.  
“I’m glad you understand my behavior, because gods know I don’t.”  
Kaden fought to keep from rolling his eyes. The man was stubborn and refusing to see what he clearly already knew. He started to walk down the road, figuring Ryoma would follow along with Jin.  
“I think you understand perfectly well but you fear what it means. Just don’t… don’t let fear keep you from seeing what you need not as Ryoma the king, but as Ryoma the man.”

For a moment, silence echoed behind him. Then the soft plod of Jin’s hooves picked up a steady ad rhythm and Ryoma came to walk beside him, leading her by the reins. He waited for him to say something, anything, but he remained quiet.  
“If we’re going to walk in silence I might as well run as a fox so that you can ride.”  
Kaden grasped the top of his robe, about to pull it off to shift, when Ryoma’s hand covered his own.  
“No. Wait. Please, can we walk like this? I can’t guarantee conversation, but I like having you by my side.”  
Kaden could tell what that admission cost the proud man in front of him. Giving Ryoma’s hand a squeeze, he nodded, and they fell into step once more.

~~~  
All in all, that had gone remarkably well. They’d arrived at the kitsune village around midday, shrieking children heralding their arrival, some of them in their furry forms. Ryoma had to fend off curious hands patting at his behind, trying to find his tail, before Kaden shooed them all off. He could tell Kaden was well loved and had been dearly missed. Time after time, members of his clan stopped before him, tipping their head slightly back and to the side. Kaden responded by gently nipping at the soft skin of their throat before sending them off with a hug. 

The first time this happened, Ryoma felt a welling pit of discomfort open in his gut. Part of it was the reminder that Kaden was very much not human. The other part may have had something to do with the beautiful young kitsune standing there, eyes smoldering, pressed against Kaden with her head tipped back to expose the long, smooth line of her neck.  
It shouldn’t surprise him. Of course he’d be meeting Kaden’s past lovers. And now that he’d returned, they’d become present lovers again and whatever game the two of them had been playing would end. It should make him glad, knowing this confusion would cease, but instead it simply left him cold and aching. 

Ryoma stared into the flames dancing in the bonfire before him. The village consisted of a central clearing deep in the forest surrounded by small lumps of earth. Upon first seeing them, his confusion must have shown clearly on his face, as Kaden grinned and grabbed his hand, leading him around the back of one of the mounds. Ignoring the heat of Kaden’s palm pressed to his own, Ryoma followed him through a stone doorway built into the dirt. They traveled down a packed dirt hallway, lit by ghost lights (torches which burning with magical flame, never producing smoke), and he gaped in amazement. Hidden below the clearing was a network of tunnels leading to a central cavern made of stone. From there, he could see countless passages spinning off into the earth. 

It was no wonder the kitsune had weathered the war so well. He knew individual clans had been wiped out, but this central gathering place had remained hidden, untouched by the violence which had raged across the continent.  
A small “ahem” broke his musing and he looked away from the flames, finding a kitsune girl standing at his side, holding a mug of something which steamed in the cool night air.  
“Some cider for you, your majesty?”  
“Ah, that would be lovely. Thank you. And please, call me Ryoma. There’s no need for formality here.”  
The girl handed him the mug, carved intricately from a polished black wood, and sat on the ground beside him.  
“I’m Sophie. You’re different from what I imagined, Ryoma.”  
“How so?”  
She pursed her lips and frowned, thinking.  
“Well, I always heard humans were angry, ugly, and stupid. You’ve been perfectly polite, you’re clearly somewhat intelligent and you have all the unmated females and even some of the mated ones drooling for a peek under your clothes.”  
She winked at him and scooted an inch closer, tail lazily flicking back and forth. Ryoma let out a laugh and leaned in conspiratorially.  
“I’ll let you in on a secret. My brother Leo and I routinely get into terrible fights, my brother Corrin often tells me I’m an idiot and I’m hiding a terrible skin condition under my clothing.”  
Sophie giggled and suddenly slipped a hand under his shirt before he could move away.  
“Nope, I’m not feeling anything weird. Are you, perhaps, trying to let me off nicely?”  
Making a bit more distance between them, he met her eyes.  
“I’m afraid so. Though the offer is generous, you are far too lovely to waste your time with me.”  
Sophie harrumphed and sighed, rolling her eyes.  
“Flattery to ease rejection. Works every time. Enjoy your cider my lord. And may I suggest, if you want to avoid a line of females looking to warm you tonight, you would do best to retire early.”

With a wave and grin, she bounced away, joining a group of girls her age. All of them looked over at him, and he saw the same stubborn resolve in their eyes that he’d seen in the eyes of men preparing to go into battle. Deciding to take Sophie’s advice, he stood up and headed towards the tent set up for him. He was not yet trusted enough to be given a room in the den below. 

~~~  
Kaden attempted to put a lid on the seething mass of jealousy banging about in his stomach. He’d rejected her. At first he thought they’d made plans to leave separately and meet up, but then he’d seen Sophie’s annoyed expression as she talked to the other young females of the clan. He should feel better, but instead all he wanted to do was rush after Ryoma and wipe away any trace of Sophie having touched him. And then follow that same path with his lips.  
He growled and paced away from the fire. He knew what the real problem was. He wanted to be the one serving Ryoma and kneeling at his side. As much as Ryoma struggled with wanting a male as a mate, Kaden struggled with this need to submit. He was dominant in his clan, but he wasn’t dominant to Ryoma. He’d no desire to be. He knew the man saw them as equals but his animal spirit happily rolled over for the beautiful, stubborn, king. 

Being back in the clanhome, acting as chief again… it reminded him that he also had responsibility for a people. And those people relied on him to be a strong, dominant leader. If they saw him act in any way submissive towards anyone, let alone a human, they’d rebel and force him out. A kitsune couldn’t survive cut off from clan; it would break him.  
He needed to think, and he couldn’t do it here, where his eyes kept straying to the tent Ryoma would use that night. He shucked off his robe and shifted, running into the forest and letting the wind wash his mind clean of his two-legged worries. 

~~~  
Ryoma ducked through the flap of the tent, surprised to find it decently large, with his packs already there. His sleeping roll had been placed in the center, his armor and sword resting beside it.  
“Is it all to your liking, my Lord?”  
Hearing the light, female voice, Ryoma stifled a groan of annoyance. He had no interest in a bed warmer and this one was braver than most if she was willing to follow him to his tent.  
Clear laughter spilled out from behind him.  
“Oh my. You poor thing, you really did have a tough night, didn’t you? Our females can be rather persistent I’m afraid.”  
Did she just…? Ryoma turned around, staring at the woman standing just outside the tent. The moonlight hit her back, silhouetting her against the night, obscuring details but making one thing very clear.  
She had no tail and her ears were very small, very round, and very human.  
“You’re… human? And what, a mind reader?”  
She took a small step forward and tilted her head to the side, a very fox like gesture. Ryoma stepped back and waved her into his tent. Moving forward on light feet, she glided beneath the canvas flap and set down the bundle she was carrying. Kneeling, she began unpacking a pile of blankets.  
“I’m sorry. I meant to have everything ready before you returned for the night, but Sophie did a fair job of chasing you in early.”  
Ryoma felt like an ass. The woman was here to help him and he’d assumed the worst.  
“Not at all. I apologize for my…”  
He’d been about to say thoughts, but she couldn’t have actually read his mind. It was impossible.  
“No need to apologize for your thoughts, my Lord. With any female but me, they’d have been quite accurate.”

He blinked. Good to know she found him unattractive. When she laughed, he winced. If she could really read his mind… he groaned and sat down on his sleep roll, dropping his head in his hands. It had been a long day, an even longer trip, and now all he wanted was to sleep in peace.  
“Here you are.” She handed him a blanket and sat cross-legged on the cloth tent floor beside him.  
“Why not Sophie? She’s very beautiful and her rambunctious nature promises a fun evening.”  
Taken aback by the blunt question, Ryoma paused. The true answer sat there, taunting him. He shoved it away, frowning.  
“She just not what I’m looking for.”  
The woman watched him with knowing eyes than shrugged.  
“To each their own. I’m Lira.”  
She stuck out her hand to shake, and he took it, surprised by the strength in her fingers. 

“So… are you human or kitsune?”  
She smiled, but this time a hint of bitterness touched the curve of her lips.  
“Kits can be born either furred or two-legged. Furred kits are stronger, dominant, marked to lead. Two-legged kits shift in the first few months, but will never be as physically strong, especially the ones that shift later in life.”  
She began making small patterns on the floor with her fingers, watching them with fascination.  
“I was born two-legged, but I never shifted. It happens, sometimes. In my case, it wasn’t a surprise, because the male who sired me was a human who raped my mother when he caught her in a trap. By the old law, I should have been put to death at birth.”  
“The old law?”  
“Mhm. Kaden’s uncle was chief before him and adhered strictly to the old laws. Laws of brutal rule, blood, and triumph. Rather than let his Uncle kill me, Kaden challenged him, and when he won and became chief, he abolished some of the old laws.”  
Ryoma frowned, trying to put the timeline together. Kaden couldn’t be more than four decades old and the woman before him was at least well into her twenties.  
“He was fourteen when I was born. His Uncle, the previous chief, was my grandfather.”  
“What happened to him?”  
She looked at him quizzically.  
“Kaden won the challenge. My grandfather’s bones joined the challenge circle.”

She stood up and brushed out her skirt, yawning.  
“There’s a hunt tomorrow morning, so don’t expect to see Kaden til later in the day. If you need anything, come find me in the central burrow; I’m in charge of healing up all the scrapes the young idiots get taking risks in the forest.”  
A sense of unease trailed in her wake, making Ryoma’s arms prickle. He blew out the lamp and laid down to sleep, falling into dreams of a small white fox, snarling and covered in crimson blood. 

~~~  
Kaden winced as Lira tugged at the gash on his ribs, pulling the skin together to lie neatly before sewing it shut with her magic. Little pinpricks bit at the tender wound as she worked and he bit back a snarl. It was partly his fault and partly good old bad luck that had landed him in her care.  
The hunt had dawned clear and warm, the forest alive with chittering friends. A great joyous surge of energy carried over the clan as they shifted as one, spirits merging and meeting in the dawn light. Kaden had led them into the trees, reveling in having his clan around him once more. 

They took down a few elk and scared a large lynx off their territory, when he’d come upon the spoor of a wild boar. These monstrous hogs roamed the forest and were liable to gore an unsuspecting kit merely for the sport of it. Growling, he’d taken off, tracking it down. At the last moment, when he was about to ambush it, one of the younger males burst from the brush, alerting the boar, and sending it whirling around towards Kaden.  
He’d barely been able to avoid having his belly ripped open. Instead, he’d escaped with a nasty, bleeding gash on his ribs and the boar escaped with his life. 

He rankled at the memory, kicking himself for forgetting the hot-headedness of youth. He needed to have a word with Maren, the male who’d ruined his ambush of the boar. Had it been anyone but Kaden, who had the reflexes and strength built of war and legacy, today would have ended in tragedy.  
“Ouch!!”  
Lira smacked him on the nose and kept working, ignoring him. Grumbling, Kaden flopped onto his back and dropped his arms over his head, staring at the carved rock ceiling. 

A commotion in the hall had him pricking his ears up.  
“… that I’m not supposed to be down here without an escort but someone said—”  
The cloth hanging over the doorway blew open and Ryoma appeared, followed by Kaia, lips tightened in her signature motherly disapproval.  
“Chieftain, I’m sorry, but he just—”  
Kaden started to laugh at the picture of the six foot three Ryoma going head to head with five foot nothing Kaia, then winced as it pulled his wound. Worry clouding his eyes, Ryoma ignored Kaia’s continued protests and dropped to the ground beside Kaden.  
“Will he be alright?”  
The question was directed over his head at Lira, still working on putting him back together.  
“He’ll be fine, as long as he doesn’t go about letting monster pigs turned him into a kabob again.”

Letting out a shuddering breath, Ryoma sank back, looking down at his clenched fists. Kaden looked at him and then reached out with one arm, letting his hands rest on the king’s. Slowly, he pried apart his fingers and wove them with his own. He was expecting Ryoma to pull away, but instead he clasped him tightly enough for Kaden to feel him shaking.  
“They just—all I heard was that you’d been injured, and no one would say more so I—”  
Lira snorted and sat back.  
“You looked pitiful enough that Kaia showed you where to go. There, all done. Doctor’s orders: do not mess up my work. Take it easy for a few days.”  
She stood, and Kaden rolled to his feet along with her. He pulled her into a hug, resting his chin atop her head.  
“Thank you. As always, I owe you.”  
Shaking her head violently, she pulled away.  
“Never. I can never repay the price you suffered for saving me.”  
She smiled at them and quickly left, the cloth flapping down in her passing, enclosing them in the quiet space. Despite the warmth, Kaden shivered. Must be the blood loss. Or the burning gaze fixed on his back. 

He turned to find Ryoma, still kneeing on the floor, staring at him.  
“I’ve never been more terrified than when I woke up this morning, knowing something was wrong.”  
Ryoma stood, taking even steps to close the distance between them. Kaden felt his heart start to pound and his head go fuzzy. Damn blood loss. Damn this man for affecting him like this.  
“Have you asked yourself why you care so much, Ryoma? I’m a friend, a comrade, sure, but—”  
Kaden’s words were swallowed by the hard lips suddenly covering his own. His hands flew up to grab Ryoma’s shoulders as one large hand anchored his head in place and the other yanked his naked chest flush against Ryoma’s clothed one. He moaned, and Ryoma had no hesitation in sweeping in with his tongue. Here was the warrior king. Kaden felt himself melting. He’d imagined this so many times and he had never gotten close to the true wonder of it. 

The sharp, pinprick tugs of the hair at the base of his skull in Ryoma’s grasp, the rough cotton of Ryoma’s shirt rubbing against the skin of his hardened nipples. Metallic tang on his tongue when one of his fangs caught Ryoma’s lip; the man’s answering growl rumbling through his chest. It all swept him into a torrent of sensation.  
And then it ended. Ryoma’s lips lifted off and his hands dropped away. Blood trickled down his lower lip, and he rubbed it away roughly. His eyes, still burning, cooled to indifference and the King returned. 

Kaden felt his heart aching, splintering in his chest. When the Hell did his heart get so damn involved? One kiss, and his traitor body felt that he should forever belong to this human.  
Fine. Taking a deep breath which steadied as he went, he stiffened his shoulders and mirrored Ryoma’s pose.  
“Was that it? You got your one kiss, and now you’re good? The itch is scratched? Pathetic.”  
Kaden watched Ryoma’s jaw set at his words and he had to tighten every muscle in his body to stop from rushing to him and taking them all back, one by one, with his lips.  
“I’ve told you before. I don’t have the liberty to make this choice. It doesn’t matter what I want… or need.”  
Kaden felt his chest crumpling into a ball.  
“Say it. Say the words, Ryoma. Tell me what it is you want. Tell yourself.”

All at once, the fight disappeared from Ryoma’s body. His shoulders slumped and he rolled out his neck, rubbing a hand over his eyes and looking nothing more than an exhausted man.

“You. I want you Kaden. I need you.”

Kaden forced himself to be still. Ryoma took one step, then another, towards him. And then another, and another, until he’d walked past him and stood at the curtained door. 

“But my people… need a King who has no weakness.”

Kaden had no answer, because his own thoughts had followed that path the night before. But at the end of his run, he’d come to a conclusion. That a clan was built on the strength of its ability to love. That loving this man, submitting to him, was not a weakness at all.  
But he couldn’t force that understanding on the proud man before him. So he simply watched as Ryoma’s head ducked under the curtain and his heart fell to pieces on the floor.

~~~  
“Aren’t you going to say goodbye?”  
Lira’s soft voice held no judgement, but her question still made Ryoma wince. Kaden. Confusing, alluring, brilliant, loyal, Kaden. How the hell was he supposed to face him now? After he’d walked away, calling Kaden a weakness he had no interest in taking on?  
“No. It’s better if I just go.”  
She snorted a noise of disbelief.  
“Alright. Well. At least allow me to show you out of the forest. The fog is thick this morning, and the way is tricky at the best of times.”  
Ryoma shrugged, adjusting his pack on his back, and gathering up Jin’s reins. The mare seemed more than pleased to be leaving this place full of small predators who were far bigger than they should be. He followed her to the edge of the village and through a thick patch of forest where the early morning light had not yet made an appearance. Lira’s steps were sure and easy. 

“You’ll find the road just past here.” 

She paused, meeting his eyes with a gaze sparking gold and green.  
“I love Kaden, as a sister loves a brother. If you have hurt him, your welcome here will be a cold one should you choose to return.”  
Grimacing, Ryoma sighed.  
“I’ll not return if he does not with me to. I have no desire to cause more conflict than I’ve already inspired.”  
Apparently, that was enough to satisfy her, as she turned and headed back into the trees. Ryoma thought he heard a muttered “idiot” under her breath, but that may have just been the breeze. 

He led Jin to the road and mounted up, allowing her to set a quick pace, stretching her legs for the first time in days. Neighing happily, she lengthened her stride, the wind whipping through her mane. Ryoma sighed, letting the tension fall away from him. Here, in the quiet mist of early morning, he could forget the deep ache in his soul which grew stronger with every pace away from Kaden’s home. 

Lost in thought, he paid little attention to the forest lining the road on either side. The dirt was firm, the road well-kept if not well-trafficked. The only sound came from the steady beat of Jin’s hooves striking the ground. Lulled by the rhythm and his wandering mind, he nearly lost his seat like a novice when Jin suddenly slammed to a stop and reared, screaming her war cry.  
Growling, dodging back out of reach of Jin’s flailing hooves, crouched a midnight fox with seven tails waving madly in the air. A mean reddish glint shone from its eyes, its mouth hanging open to display needle sharp white teeth.  
Ryoma eased Jin down and held still. He didn’t know nearly enough of kitsune politics to know what might be happening here. Was this some prank of Kaden’s, revenge for his behavior? No, he thought, dismissing the idea. Kaden wouldn’t involve his clan in something that petty.  
With a snarl, the kitsune snapped at Jin’s legs, causing her to shy away. Growling from behind him alerted Ryoma that he’d been surrounded. The kitsune herded him off the road, towards a clearing in the trees. In any other situation, he’d have drawn his sword and fought his way out, but these were Kaden’s people. He needed to hear them out.  
“What is the meaning of this? Surely we could have talked before I left your home.”  
The black kitsune who’d initially stopped them on the road let out a barking snarl, sounding like laughter. A ghostly voice drifted from it, a trick Ryoma had seen Kaden do a few times before, when he was going for intimidation value. 

Pathetic human would-be king. You corrupt our people with promises of friendship then watch coldly as we are slaughtered by the monsters of your creation. What talking should I do with you? Our Chief was strong before leaving to fight a two-legger war. You’ve made him weak. Soft. Slow. What sort of fool gets gored by a boar on a simple hunt? That is no leader for us. 

As Jin shifted nervously, Ryoma jumped down from the saddle, keeping her close. The kitsune closed in the circle. There were six, midnight being the largest, and the only one with more than five tails. The number of kitsune tails, he knew from Kaden, spoke to the individual’s power. Kaden, as chief, had nine.  
Ryoma was severely out numbered. If he had Raijinto… but no, the sword of lightning was not something he carried with him on diplomatic trips. It was a weapon of war and belonged only on the battlefield. 

It is time to remind him that we do not play with humans. The Old Laws state that any weakness to the clan is to be killed. By the Old Ways we judge you, and death awaits!  
The massive fox lunged toward him, and he brought his sword up to block, only to have one of the smaller kitsune barrel into him from the side. His sword went flying, he heard Jin whinny as she kicked out at a foe and felt a crack as his head smacked hard against a rock on the ground. Trying to clear his suddenly foggy mind, he got his shoulders up to protect his neck as long fangs came slicing toward him. 

A white blur rocketed into the clearing and slammed into the black kitsune. At the same time, a harsh green light filled the clearing and suddenly a pile of naked people lay on the ground, stripped of their fur. Wincing, Ryoma sat up, and, leaning against Jin, made his way to his feet. Lira stood, swaying slightly, blood dripping from her outstretched palm to puddle on the earth. Kaden, also in two-leg form, crouched before her, snarling, eyes flashing wickedly. 

“Sheila. Maren. Gilet. Brinda. Vasta.” 

As he named each of them, the kitsune jolted as if shocked and whimpered, curling into a ball on the ground, foreheads pressed to the dirt, tails limp beside them.  
“Colton.”  
The last to be named, a young male with inky black hair falling down his back and a lustrous tail, stiffened but did not bow. Instead he rose to his feet and spat in Kaden’s direction. 

“You came running to save your human and you brought your pet witch with you. Pathetic.”  
Kaden stalked forward, away from Lira who still stood frozen, blood pattering in slow drops on the forest floor. Ryoma wished he could reach his sword, but it lay far out of the circle, and he dared not move. 

“What did you mean to do here, Colton? Kill the king of the very nation that saved us all from destruction?”  
“So you say. All I see is a human winning a human war and leaving us all starving, dead, and broken from it.”  
Kaden released a frustrated growl.  
“How blind can you be? We cannot live isolated from the rest of the world. Would you have us go back to the way of my Uncle? Kill whatever we do not understand?”  
Colton let out a hard, angry laugh.  
“At least then abominations like that whore-child would have been gutted at birth as it should have been, instead of wielding her unnatural powers over us all.”  
Kaden stilled, and when he next spoke, his voice held a blade of steel on his tongue. 

“Flee.”

Terrified yelping erupted from the other kitsune still curled on the ground and they rolled to their feet, running into the woods. Colton stood, muscles straining, jaw clenched, resisting the command.  
“Ryoma. Take Lira and go. The clan is no longer safe for her.”  
An indignant gasp escaped the girl in question, but her mouth snapped shut when Kaden turned to glare at her.  
“You’ve done more than enough. You saved our lives today; now go and save your own.”  
Ryoma stared at Kaden incredulously. The man really expected him to just leave him here to deal with this off-kilter clan-mate. 

Now ignoring him completely, Kaden faced Colton once more.  
“You have spoken words of challenge. Let it be so. Let the blood circle rise and feed.”  
A rush of magic, ancient as the forest itself, surged through the ground and suddenly Ryoma found himself on the edge of the clearing, Lira and Jin beside him. Where Kaden and Colton had been, two monstrous forms now erupted. Ryoma had seen Kaden’s battle form before but seeing it like this, locked in combat with another, nearly as menacing, predator, made his gut twist. 

“Damn it, Kaden, you fool.”  
Lira’s soft curse drew Ryoma’s attention down to her and he felt a tremor of fear shoot through him when he saw the panic in her eyes.  
“He won’t lose.”  
She glanced at him, shaking her head.  
“To Colton? No. To the other five when they come slinking back to challenge him one by one? I don’t know. As long as the blood circle is up, I can’t heal him.”

Which meant he would fight with injuries piling up from the previous round. A yelp yanked his eyes back to the twisting bodies in the circle. Colton’s back leg was pouring blood and it collapsed when he tried to place weight on it. Not wasting a second Kaden lunged forward and snapped his jaws around Colton’s neck.  
Yield.  
Colton struggled, attempting to claw his way out from under Kaden. As he struggled, Ryoma caught movement out of the corner of his eye. 

Things slowed to syrup dripping out of a bottle. The tawny fox burst from the edge of the clearing, launching herself into the circle. Kaden looked up, the distraction letting Colton get a paw lined with razor edged claws off the ground. Those claws tore into Kaden’s unprotected belly—or at least, Ryoma saw it about to happen and was already moving, throwing himself at the pinned kitsune and slamming him back to the ground.  
He heard a pained yelp, felt something wet on his chest, and then his head struck the ground for the second time that morning, and warm darkness swept him away. 

~~~  
Foolish man. Idiotic, reckless, wonderful man. 

Swishing his tail in irritation, Kaden paced back and forth in front of the door to his den. Lira was in there with Ryoma, fixing him. She was very nearly worn out, from forcing the shift on a pile of traitorous kitsune after patching him up the day before. Thoughts of the betrayal of his people ate at him, salvaged only by the fact that much of the clan, on finding out what had happened, burned with cold fury at the instigators. His sister had taken charge of Colton and the others. As one of the only other nine-tails in the clan, Emeria was well equipped to deal with the weakened and cowed traitors. 

He stopped before the door, everything in him yearning to go back inside. The only thing stopping him was the memory of Lira’s worn voice telling him to get out before his emotions broke her concentration completely. The last thing he wanted to do was get in the way of her work. He resumed pacing, skin burning hot, then cold. Why had Ryoma intervened? He could have handled it. It was his own damn fault for allowing himself to be distracted by the female leaping into the circle. 

And now the man was lying there, broken, hurting. Because of him. Because he’d been blind to the unrest in his clan, refusing to see that there were those unhappy with his long absence and disregard of the Old Ways.  
The door opened and soft light spilled out. Lira swayed, gripping the heavy wooden door to stay upright.  
She yawned and sighed wearily.  
“It’s done. He’ll be alright.”  
“And his—”  
“I said he’ll be alright. I don’t do a job half way.”

With that, she stepped around him and headed deeper into the burrow. Any other time, he’d have gone after her and made sure she made it back to her den, but today… today he rushed through the door and dropped to the floor beside the nest of pillows he used as a bed.  
Ryoma watched him with dark, unreadable eyes. His arm, nearly torn from its socket, was bandaged but seemed unharmed. The gash over his brow was reduced to a week-old scab. It would scar, only adding to his attraction.  
“Why? Why did you do that?”  
The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could think to stop them. Ryoma’s expression tightened but he didn’t look away. Instead, he pushed himself up to sitting, leaning his back against the cushioned wall.  
“Why did you come to rescue me in the first place? I assume Lira figured something was wrong, but why bother?”  
Kaden’s mouth dropped open. How could he not…?  
“You idiot. Of course I came to help you. What kind of idiot would I be if I let the man I’d chosen for a mate die at the hands of a few discontents?”

Ryoma blinked a him, brows creasing as he processed what he’d heard. Something in Kaden’s heart lightened. There. He’d said it, consequences be damned.  
“Kaden… don’t make out that I’m more than a passing fancy to you. You flit from one thing to another, never resting in one place, and you expect me to believe you want me as… as a mate? A partner?”  
Kaden gritted his jaw. Ryoma was going to be stubborn about this. The man didn’t know his own worth.  
“When I realized you were in danger from six incredibly well-trained and dangerous kitsune, when I realized my own foolishness had placed you in that danger… well, I also realized that if you died, pieces of my heart would die with you.”  
Kaden looked down at his hands resting in his lap. Hands that had known so many bodies in passion yet now wanted only to touch this one man.  
“You’re not a passing fancy. Gods know I tried to convince myself of it. Convince myself that I simply wanted to play with the great King, see if I could make him tick. Illusions. Easy to trick myself until you’re there, dying in front of me, arm nearly bitten off and bleeding to death.”  
He started shaking, and tears rolled down his face to drip down onto his clenched, pale hands. There was a rough sigh, and then warm arms pulled him into the nest of pillows, drawing him against a smooth, hard chest. With Ryoma’s heartbeat, steady and sure, echoing in his ears, he wept. 

When Kaden began to cry, Ryoma broke. In that moment, he knew. He knew that there was no going back. What he felt for this frustrating, ridiculous fox went beyond anything he’d ever felt before. He dragged his fingers through Kaden’s hair, rubbing his furred ears as he sobbed.  
A shiver went through him, and Ryoma grinned, stroking over the velvety ears again. This time, Kaden moaned, softly enough that Ryoma would have missed it if he wasn’t completely focused on the man in his arms.  
Kaden was nestled between his bent knees, plastered against his naked chest. With his back propped on the soft cushions and his front covered with the man he’d longed for in the aching midnights of the past year, Ryoma was more content than he’d been in… well, forever, really.

Sliding his hand along Kaden’s cheek, he tilted his face up for a kiss. Leaning down, he captured Kaden’s lips with his own, forcing him to yield. Dark satisfaction burst through him as the fox struggled for a moment, and then sagged into him with a groan. Ryoma loved driving Kaden to submit to him. Kaden loved it too, judging by the hard erection pressing against his waist.  
Suddenly, Kaden pulled away and stood. Ryoma felt the loss immediately and began to protest, when Kaden yanked his shirt over his head. Ryoma’s mouth went dry and he realized, despite the number of times Kaden had technically been naked in his presence, he’d never looked. 

He looked now, eyes greedily tracing the lean lines of Kaden’s torso, the corded muscle of his arms. His nipples peaked under his gaze, and Ryoma saw goosebumps rise on his skin. Swallowing hard, Kaden dropped his hands to his waist and undid the sash that held the loose pants he always wore in place. With a quiet slide of fabric against flesh, Kaden stood naked before him. His erection jutted out, and Ryoma hardened even further, imagining sliding himself along Kaden’s length.  
“Come here.”  
Kaden immediately complied, all hesitation gone. He sank to his knees in the nest of pillows, tail flicking eagerly, but holding himself still as Ryoma drew it all in with his eyes. With an impatient noise, Kaden began to reach for Ryoma’s pants, but he stopped him with a gentle hand around his throat.  
“No. Not yet.”  
Sliding his hand around to the back of Kaden’s neck, he twisted his fingers in his thick hair and pulled him forward for another brutal kiss. Kaden’s fingers, now tipped with small claws, bit into his arms as he pressed even closer. Releasing his grip on Kaden’s hair, but continuing the kiss, Ryoma slid his hands down Kaden’s body. 

A strangled gasp burst from Kaden’s throat and he jerked back in reflex, only to groan as he realized he was trapped. Ryoma’s right hand wrapped around his cock while he gripped Kaden’s tail with his left, holding him immobile. Ryoma squeezed his tail gently and he whimpered, cock growing heavier and harder in his other hand.  
“So that’s sensitive. Good to know.”  
Kaden gasped out a laugh, shuddering.  
“Are you taking notes, my Lord? Oh Gods, Ryoma, please…”  
Ryoma smiled, thrilled that his instincts were leading him in the right direction. Keeping a firm grip on Kaden’s tail, he started to stroke his cock, squeezing his tail in time with the pumping of his hand. Kaden’s hands slammed down on his shoulders, clenching and releasing as he attempted to thrust into Ryoma’s hand only to find himself held still by the hand on his tail. 

His words turned to incoherent pleading and Ryoma found himself groaning as Kaden took his lips, nipping at him and thrusting his tongue in to dance with his own. Then he stiffened, head dropping to the crook where Ryoma’s neck met his shoulder, every muscle tight as he exploded. Ryoma felt hot seed spurt over his skin, smelled Kaden’s musk, and he hardened to the point of pain. He needed release, wanted it by Kaden’s hand, but had no idea how to ask.  
Kaden collapsed in a heap, shivering and tingling from the best orgasm he’d ever had in his life. Ryoma holding him in place had only heightened the feeling, knowing that his pleasure would come only when Ryoma willed it. Breathing heavily, he pressed a kiss to Ryoma’s damp skin. Shifting, he was startled when Ryoma let out a groan. 

“Did I hurt your arm? Ah hell, I completely forgot.”  
Ryoma started laughing and caught his lips in a gentle kiss.  
“My arm isn’t the part of me that’s hurting.”  
Kaden felt himself start to harden again as he looked down to see the clear evidence of Ryoma’s need tenting out his pants and leaving a wet spot on the fabric.  
“Luckily, I know a fix for that.”  
He dropped his hands to Ryoma’s waist, and this time, the man didn’t stop him. Licking his lips in anticipation, he pulled the cloth down Ryoma’s legs and tossed it aside. He moaned in delight at the picture before him. Ryoma’s chest glistened with Kaden’s seed and his cock stood up at attention, long and big, darkening at the swollen tip. 

“Has anyone ever serviced you with their mouth before, my Lord?”

Ryoma took in a shaky breath and shook his head, as if he didn’t trust his voice. Kaden was filled with primal satisfaction. He would be taking all this man’s firsts. And lasts, and everything in between, if he got his way. 

Kaden bent down and licked from base to tip in one smooth motion. Ryoma let out a half growl, half shout, and dropped a hand into Kaden’s hair. Not pushing, but present, a reminder of his strength. Kaden shivered and popped his lips around the tip of Ryoma’s cock, swirling his tongue around the smooth, soft skin. As Ryoma’s hand tightened in his hair, he moaned, and sucked his cock deep into his throat as Ryoma let out a guttural groan.  
“Oh Gods… Kaden—what—hell, don’t stop, please, don’t stop.”  
Coming up for air, Kaden glanced up at Ryoma and nearly came again from the sight of him, chest heaving, eyes flashing with passion. Bending back to his task, he set up a rhythm, letting his cock slam into the back of his throat on every pull. Soon, Ryoma was thrusting up into his mouth, using his hand to control the speed of Kaden’s head bobbing on his cock. Kaden slipped a hand between Ryoma’s legs to fondle his balls, and the man stiffened and yanked Kaden all the way down, pushing his cock deep into his throat. Kaden moaned, moving his tongue to lave as much as he could. Ryoma growled and Kaden felt hot jets of liquid spurt into his throat. He swallowed, causing Ryoma to shudder and moan, hand twitching in his hair. Finally, He let go, and Kaden pulled back, licking up every drop of cum as he went. 

“Kaden, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—Did I hurt you?” 

Grabbing his shirt, Kaden began gently wiping his seed off Ryoma’s chest. He pressed kiss after kiss to his skin, murmuring soft words as he went. Ryoma’s arms came around him, cradling him close. Kaden snagged a blanket and tugged it over them, as Ryoma sank into the nest of pillows and pulled Kaden down to lie in the bend of his arm. Kaden snuggled close, reveling in the afterglow.  
“Ryoma, you have my full permission to fuck my throat whenever you please. I nearly came again from the taste of you in my mouth.”  
Kaden felt Ryoma’s fingers pause on his shoulder, before continuing their lazy path up and down his back.  
“Well then, I suppose I’ll have to do something about that.” 

~~~  
Shoving the pile of papers aside, Ryoma cracked his neck and looked around his office. Seeing the pillow in the corner sent a pang of longing through his chest. Shaking his head, he stood up and walked into his bedroom. Tossing aside his overcoat, he stripped down to his soft cotton pants and began to move through a series of stretches.  
It was the closest he came to meditation. In these quiet evening hours, he could forget about being king and let himself remember the man who had snagged his heart when he wasn’t looking. 

I have things I need to do here, and you need to go back. I understand, Ryoma. I’m not happy, but I understand. 

Kaden’s words floated through his mind as sweat dripped down his back. He’d left the kitsune clanhome two weeks ago and it felt like a lifetime. He’d invited Kaden to come back to the palace whenever he could but with the instability in the clan, Ryoma had no misconceptions about it happening anytime soon. 

He spun to a stop, settling himself with even breaths, and yanked his hair out of its tie, running it through his fingers. He needed to get it cut. Maybe he’d talk to Oboro about it tomorrow. She knew things about fashion. He walked into the bathing chamber and ran his hand over the opening cut into the stone, waving the magic there to life. Steaming water poured into the deep tub, filling the bathroom with hazy warmth. Shucking off his sweat covered pants, he sank gratefully into the water.

As he drifted, straining to find the inner stillness eluding him, a small sound broke his concentration. A scuff on stone, again. Ryoma tensed, bracing himself against the tub, when a voice cut through the steam filled room.  
“You clearly need better guards. I slipped right past them and climbed the wall to your room in under five minutes. Disgraceful.”  
Ryoma was moving before he’d fully registered his actions. Launching out of the tub, he snagged the intruder around the knees and fell backward into the water, taking his guest with him.

A sputtering, tawny head emerged from the surface a moment later.  
“That was really unnec—”  
Whatever he was going to say vanished as Ryoma slammed his lips down on his mouth. Yanking him close, he ripped off the soaking wet pieces of clothing in his way. A moan rumbled through him as skin met skin, cocooned by the water around them. He squirmed in Ryoma’s lap, feeling his shaft rub over silk covered steel  
“What are you doing here?”  
Kaden blinked, trying to process the words, thoroughly distracted by the expanse of hot man beneath him.  
“What do you mean, what am I doing here? I told you I’d be here once I wrapped up some things with the clan.”

Ryoma’s hand were doing distracting things to his butt, pressing in places that sent arcing shivers through his body. When he spoke next, his voice was rough with emotion.  
“I thought it would be awhile. How long can you stay before you have to return?”  
And here was the tricky part. He knew this man belonged to him, but had he figured it out yet? Kaden stiffened as one of Ryoma’s fingers kept up a steady pressure against his ass.  
“I—well—mmmph that is really distracting.”  
Ryoma grinned at him.  
“Go on.”  
The man was infuriating.  
“I don’t have a deadline. I, well—I’m not the chief anymore.”

The delicious pressure stopped and Kaden couldn’t help the whine that escaped him. Ryoma was deadly still, muscle tensing.  
“Did they kick you out? Is it because of me?”  
He couldn’t help but mess with him a bit. He loved danger, after all.  
“It is because of you. I’m bereft of a home. Oh good king Ryoma, won’t you take me in?”  
Ryoma’s eyebrow twitched, the corner of his mouth quirking up.  
“It’s not a joke Kaden. If our relationship cost you your position, I—”  
Kaden leaned forward and licked Ryoma’s bottom lip, nipping as he went.  
“I chose to leave. You can’t stop being the king of Hoshido, but I can easily turn over leadership to Elaria. I never wanted to be chief. I only did it for Lira’s sake, to get rid of my uncle and the Old Ways. It wasn’t supposed to be a long-term gig. Besides, Elaria was a bit miffed when I had the indecency to live through the war and take back the chieftain spot to begin with.” 

Ryoma’s eyes were closed, his hands clenching and unclenching on Kaden’s hips. As he watched, a tear slipped from beneath the king’s eyelid. As he opened his mouth, searching for what to say, Ryoma’s eyes snapped open, burning him with the intensity of his gaze.  
“No going back now. You are mine, kitsune.”  
Kaden froze, feeling like the prey he hunted, waiting for the onslaught. The kiss, when it came, was surprisingly gentle, coaxing. He wanted to rush, to feel Ryoma deep inside him, but this alien sweetness ensnared him. Strong arms slipped around him, lifting him as Ryoma stood and began walking to the bedroom. He wrapped his legs around his waist, squeezing and rubbing against him, gratified at the shudder that wracked through his body.  
Leaning in, Kaden nipped at Ryoma’s neck, rewarded with a growl and being dumped unceremoniously on the soft blankets covering the bed. He looked up at the King and lay still under his gaze, shivers running over his wet skin.  
“Gods, you’re beautiful.”

Words rough with need had Kaden rolling up to his knees and reaching for Ryoma, tugging him forward to the bed. As he slid a palm over his mate’s cock, he felt himself grow impossibly hard.  
“Come to me, my lord. Make me yours.”  
Ryoma grinned, thrusting into Kaden’s hand with a groan.  
“Lean over the bed, kitsune."

As Kaden moved to drape himself over the bed, Ryoma took a moment to appreciate the man before him. Seeing him obey so quickly did things to his heart, driving it to beat faster to leap the distance between them. He caressed his fox’s tail, loving the way Kaden arched back into his touch. Rubbing the soft fur with his left hand, he pressed his right index finger against Kaden’s ass, keeping up the pressure until he was thrusting easily, spurred on by the soft whimpers coming from his mouth.

Kaden twisted his head around to watch him, sharp teeth catching his lip as he moaned. Leaning down, Ryoma added another finger and captured Kaden’s mouth with his own, relishing the exquisite torture of Kaden writhing beneath him.  
Tearing his face away, Ryoma grabbed the back of Kaden’s neck and pinned him to the bed, replacing his fingers with the head of his cock. Grasping Kaden’s tail with his other hand, he sheathed himself in one stroke. Burning, liquid heat surrounded him and he almost came right there. Kaden bucked beneath him, moving himself over his shaft, ripping a groan from his chest. He began to move, setting up a steady rhythm, determined to drive his kitsune over the edge. 

Ryoma wanted Kaden’s cock in his hand, wanted to feel him come undone. He wrapped an arm around his chest and pulled him up off the bed, levering him forward using only his strength. Wrapping his palm around Kaden’s length, he ran his thumb over the tip, catching the moisture there. He sped up his thrusts, swiping his thumb back and forth, driven by Kaden’s increasingly desperate whimpers.  
“Ryoma—please, oh Gods don’t stop, don’t stop, I’m so close—”  
With a low growl, Kaden stiffened and started to come, hot seed spurting over Ryoma’s hand. As his musk filled the air, Ryoma lost control, slamming into Kaden’s ass over and over, feeling his own release boil up. Spine bowing, he came with a shout, shoving Kaden back down to the bed to jerk into him a few more times, before collapsing over his back. 

The shuddering breaths below him anchored him back to the earth, and he slowly pulled away, savoring the moan of displeasure that he drew from the man who held his heart.  
“Come here, lover.”  
He slid back on the bed, tugging Kaden with him, and tucking them both beneath the blankets. He gently rubbed Kaden’s ears and brushed a kiss over his lips. He frowned as Kaden turned his face away burying it in the pillow. Was he wrong about the man’s feelings? He’d left his clan, his home but… Ryoma clenched his teeth, praying he hadn’t made a mistake.  
“…mmh lo..oo.”  
The muttered words were lost in the pillow but he could have sworn…  
“What was that?”  
Kaden shook his head, burying it further under the pillows. Rolling his eyes, Ryoma yanked him out and rolled, trapping him under his body and clamping his head between his hands.  
“Fine. If you won’t tell me… I’ll go first. I love you, Kaden.”  
Warm golden eyes widened, staring at him.  
“You… finally figured that out?”  
Ryoma let out a laugh before he could stop himself. Arrogant fox. Shaking his head, he captured Kaden’s smirking lips with his own, kissing him until he felt his cock start to stiffen again below him.  
“Admit it, fox. You love me too.”  
Kaden shoved him over onto his back, and Ryoma let it happen, loving having the man’s weight pressing into his hips.  
“I love you, Ryoma. I’m just glad you caught on. Took you long enough.”  
“I’ll make up for it for the rest of our lives, kitsune. Starting now…”  
He yanked Kaden down onto his thickening shaft, winning a yelp and a moan, and surrendered himself to the bliss he’d only ever known in Kaden’s embrace.


End file.
